Chapter 127 - 111: Return to Golden Hook Mountain, Kill All Who Set Conditions

Chapter 127: Chapter 111: Return to Golden Hook Mountain, Kill All Who Set Conditions

Liu Hetong left the online meeting without a word to the others.

The meeting room fell silent.

Then, one figure vanished.

In a near chain reaction, the rest vanished as well.

Under these circumstances, there was no point in discussing how to band together and handle the problem.

Now, it was just a matter of seeing how far Zhang Ji wanted to go—and how far he could actually take things.

As for them, they would have to find their own ways and use their own methods to save their skins and, as much as possible, preserve the core strength of their families.

...

「A storm was brewing, and dark currents churned.」

Yet at this very moment, under the cover of night, Zhang Ji had returned to Golden Hook Mountain.

This once-thriving tourist attraction still had a few visitors.

However, the company running it was under new management.

The staff on the mountain were no longer disciples of the Five Elements Sect.

This place was no longer called the Five Elements Sect.

’What was it called now? Golden Hook Mountain Tourism Co., Ltd. or something?’

Zhang Ji hadn’t bought a ticket; he had flown directly up the mountain.

He made his way to the place where the Five Elements Sect disciples once held their competitions.

In the darkness, he arrived at the fighting platform where he himself had once competed.

He stepped onto it.

He recalled the Inner Sect Disciple who had fought him back then.

He vaguely recalled that the disciple’s Tiger Fist was decent, but he had no idea what became of him.

Zhang Ji wasn’t sure what arrangements the Eastern Extreme Country had made for the Five Elements Sect disciples.

But they probably hadn’t killed them all.

He had no idea if the remaining disciples were imprisoned or had been recruited.

’Most likely recruited.’

After all, they were professional fighters. With a little training, they could be a great asset in any number of roles.

Zhang Ji stepped down from the platform and made his way to Li Long’s courtyard.

The courtyard was overgrown with weeds, and Li Long was nowhere to be seen. Zhang Ji entered the training room, faintly remembering the moment Li Long had taught him Dragon Form Fist.

Li Long had been more of a purist than him, a true Martial Artist.

It was a pity he had lacked a little luck.

Zhang Ji left the building and walked to the small courtyard where he once lived.

There were signs of it having been searched.

The machine he had used for training was gone.

However, no one had moved in.

Things from the martial arts world were always something of a hot potato.

Especially one that had been such a colossal martial arts Sect.

Even after its fall, its disciples and their students would still be around.

The Golden Hook Mountain Tourism Co., Ltd. that took over likely hadn’t dared to make any drastic renovations.

They were afraid of accidentally moving something they shouldn’t and enraging the remaining disciples of the Five Elements Sect.

’A disciple could return, take one look, and think, "So you’re the one who knocked over the statue of our Sect’s patriarch?" ’

’ "I might not be able to beat the government, but I can’t take care of a small-time boss like you?" ’

It was hard to say what would happen after that.

Zhang Ji continued walking until he reached the back of the mountain.

Yan Ruifeng, Li Long, and Gu Shuangshuang were buried here.

The three graves were still there; they hadn’t been destroyed.

There were even fresh flowers and offerings.

’Some of the remaining Five Elements Sect disciples must have put in the effort.’

If it helped recruit the remaining Five Elements Sect disciples, leaving three graves untouched was a very worthwhile trade-off for the authorities.

Just then, Zhang Ji suddenly sensed some movement.

After a moment’s thought, his figure blurred, and he concealed himself behind some distant trees.

After Zhang Ji had hidden himself, a young woman of about sixteen or seventeen approached.

The young woman wore a security guard’s uniform. She had a few freckles and her features weren’t striking, but her steps were light. A single glance was enough to tell he was looking at someone who had practiced lightness footwork with some success; she clearly had a talent for the martial path.

Zhang Ji judged that she had practiced Crane Form Fist and was most likely a disciple of the Crane Hall.

The young woman was carrying a plastic bag filled with things.

She went to the graves, poured out wine for Yan Ruifeng, Li Long, and Gu Shuangshuang, then set out some fruit as offerings.

After she was done, she sat right down, poured some wine for herself, and began to drink sullenly.

As she drank, she began to curse.

She cursed the trash management now running Golden Hook Mountain, cursed the skilled people in the martial arts world for hiding like cowards, and cursed the rotten higher-ups of the Eastern Extreme Country...

Her cursing gradually turned to crying.

"Sect Leader, you took me in when I was four! You said you would make sure I’d have a full stomach for the rest of my life, so how could you go back on your word... *sob*..."

The Five Elements Sect used to take in many talented orphans. It was easier to instill a deep, faith-like loyalty to the Sect in orphans they raised themselves.

This young woman was clearly one of them.

"You worthless girl! What are you crying for!" Zhang Ji revealed himself and immediately scolded her.

The young woman froze, then looked at Zhang Ji warily. "Who are you?"

"Zhang Ji."

Zhang Ji stepped closer, allowing the young woman to see his face clearly.

"Master Zhang?" the young woman asked in astonishment.

Of course she recognized Zhang Ji.

The Daoist, the Master Disciple, the champion of the martial arts association—back then, basically every disciple studying on Golden Hook Mountain remembered that face.

"What’s your name?" Zhang Ji asked.

"Yu Qi..." Yu Qi answered cautiously.

"As a Martial Artist, what do you think you’re doing, sniveling here? If you’re unhappy, use your skills to solve the problem. If your skills aren’t good enough, then train. Bottle up that frustration, push yourself harder. Does crying solve anything?" Zhang Ji said, displeased.

Yu Qi’s face was a mask of misery; she didn’t know how to refute him.

In her heart, though, she desperately wanted to protest.

She had started her foundational training at four and was now seventeen, yet she had only achieved minor mastery of the Crane Form Fist.

How could she possibly compare to a genius like Zhang Ji, who had become the martial arts association champion at sixteen?

"Master Zhang, why are you back? The government is still hunting for you..." Yu Qi said hurriedly, as if she’d suddenly remembered something.

"You haven’t been watching the livestreams?" Zhang Ji asked.

He had Liu Hetong build up momentum for him. By all rights, enough time had passed that even if not everyone in the Eastern Extreme Country knew about his current situation, someone like Yu Qi, who was part of the martial arts world, should have gotten some news. If she didn’t know, someone else should have told her.

"Livestreams? I haven’t watched any livestreams in a long time," Yu Qi said. "Does that have something to do with you being back, Master Zhang?"

"You haven’t been in touch with any friends either?" Zhang Ji asked.

"I don’t really have any friends. Before, only Senior Sister Gu looked after me..." Yu Qi said, her head lowered.

She had always been a reclusive, withdrawn, introverted disciple who knew nothing but martial arts. Due to the strict demands of her former instructor, she rarely even used her phone and had no hobbies like binging shows or reading novels.

Her life now consisted of clocking in to patrol Golden Hook Mountain, occasionally ordering something online, and holing up in her dorm to practice martial arts by herself. She would grab her food from the cafeteria and immediately leave to eat alone, terrified of interacting with anyone.

Her world was tiny, no bigger than her own little corner of the world.

She didn’t ask for much—just a full stomach, a new set of clothes or two for the holidays, and the ability to buy a nice snack once in a while.

Meeting Yu Qi’s curious gaze, Zhang Ji found he couldn’t bring himself to speak the harsh words he had intended.

’No need to have such high expectations for a kid this innocent, at least for now.’

"Just take out your phone and search for it yourself. You’ll see," Zhang Ji said.

Yu Qi took out her phone and, with some unfamiliarity, opened a search engine and looked up Zhang Ji.

What followed was a series of gasps. Her expression shifted rapidly as her gaze darted back and forth between Zhang Ji and her phone.

"Master Zhang, you... you... you’ve become a Terrestrial Immortal? And you fought the government head-on?" Yu Qi’s eyes were wide.

Zhang Ji nodded slightly. "My cultivation has reached a new level, and the government is no longer a threat. The Five Elements Sect will be rebuilt. You won’t have to do this patrol work anymore. You’ve earned merit by tending to the graves of the Sect Leader and the two Masters. When the Five Elements Sect is re-established, I will not treat you poorly. I can personally decide to put you in charge of one of the Sect’s branches."

"No, no, no, I just want to stay here... You can just have me do the cleaning. But... could the pay be a little higher?" Yu Qi said cautiously, waving her hands in refusal.

Her complete lack of ambition left Zhang Ji speechless.

"Fine. Put your things down and come with me," Zhang Ji said.

"Master Zhang, where are we going?" Yu Qi put her things down and followed Zhang Ji. "I have to clock in at eight tomorrow morning..."

Zhang Ji shot her a look, and she immediately fell silent.

She seemed to realize just how inappropriate it was to mention "clocking in" at a time like this.

"Do you want to avenge the Sect Leader and the others?" Zhang Ji asked Yu Qi as they walked along the mountain path.

"I do, but I don’t have the strength..." Yu Qi said timidly.

"Those common people aren’t even professional fighters. They couldn’t take a single palm strike from you," Zhang Ji said.

The two of them continued down the mountain, arriving outside the main hall.

A black sedan was already waiting there.

Standing beside the car was a young, short-haired woman in a business suit.

"Mr. Zhang, hello. My name is Zhong Youqing. Councillor Liu sent me to pick you up," said Zhong Youqing.

Zhang Ji nodded and walked to the car. Zhong Youqing quickly opened the door, allowing Zhang Ji to get inside.

Yu Qi was still a bit dazed. Zhang Ji said, "Get in. Don’t just stand there like an idiot."

At his words, Yu Qi had no choice but to get in the car and sit next to Zhang Ji.

Zhong Youqing sat in the front passenger seat and activated the car’s self-driving mode.

As the car started to move, Zhong Youqing began to brief Zhang Ji.

"Mr. Zhang, we’ve contacted the individuals from the martial arts world you requested. The Northern Dao Sect is currently taking the lead, with Daoist Ma Shaosi serving as the head of the alliance. They are all willing to offer their humble services for your ascension... On the broadcasting side, we’ve already taken Control ahead of time. The resistance from the Hall of Law Enforcement, the National Congress, the Ministry of Defense, and other relevant departments isn’t very strong, but they do have some conditions..."

"Kill anyone who tries to set conditions," Zhang Ji cut in directly.

The words were spoken matter-of-factly.

But they were enough to make Zhong Youqing freeze for three solid seconds, and they sent Yu Qi’s heart hammering against her ribs, her eyes wide with shock.

"That’s... a lot of people..." Zhong Youqing said cautiously.

"Do you need me to do it personally?" Zhang Ji asked nonchalantly. "If I get involved, there might not be many intact corpses left. I might also accidentally injure some bystanders."

"I will inform Councillor Liu of your exact words," Zhong Youqing said, collecting herself.

In that moment, her entire understanding of Zhang Ji was redefined.

This was no ancient monarch.

He was a god.

A true deity who stood above countless mortals.

The power of the mortal world could not restrain him.

And he could pass judgment on any and all mortals based entirely on his own whims.

"Give me your phone," Zhang Ji said to Yu Qi.

"Oh, okay!"

Yu Qi nodded, quickly unlocked her phone, and handed it to Zhang Ji.

Zhang Ji took the phone and casually scrolled through it.

Besides a music app, there was also a social media app.

But it only had three friends and one group chat.

Two of the three friends were grayed out—Yan Ruifeng and Gu Shuangshuang. The only one left was the former instructor from the Crane Hall.

As for the group chat, it was for a past class of Crane Hall disciples, and she had it muted.

Seeing this, Zhang Ji couldn’t help but sigh. ’This kid is too much of a recluse!’

Using her phone, Zhang Ji searched for an account he had just registered and added himself as a friend. Then he handed the phone back to Yu Qi. "I’ll look out for you from now on. Stop crying all the time; you’re a disgrace to the Five Elements Sect. And stop drinking. It’s bad for your nerves and dulls your reflexes..."

Hearing Zhang Ji’s words, Yu Qi couldn’t stop her eyes from welling up with tears again. She nodded, trying desperately to hold them back.

Zhang Ji was left speechless by this walking punching bag. He resolved that he would have her kill a person or two later to help her mature properly.